Wideband magic tee microwave junction

Abstract

A magic tee microwave junction comprising: an E-plane tee junction includes a difference arm along a first axis (Ox) in a reference plane (xOz) and two collinear arms that are symmetric about the reference plane, an H-plane tee junction comprising a sum arm along an axis (O′z′) orthogonal to the first axis in the reference plane and two collinear arms that are symmetric about the reference plane, two first waveguides that are symmetric about the reference plane, connected to the ends of the collinear arms of the junctions, two waveguides that are symmetric about the reference plane and connected to the first waveguides. A power divider, to a beamforming network and to an additive manufacturing production method is also provided.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A magic tee microwave junction, comprising a set of waveguides configured to form:
 a first E-plane tee microwave junction comprising a difference arm extending along a first axis (Ox) in a reference plane (xOz) and two collinear arms of the same length and that are symmetric about the reference plane, 
 a second H-plane tee microwave junction comprising a sum arm extending along a second axis (O′z′, Oz) orthogonal to the first axis (Ox) in the reference plane (xOz) and two collinear arms of the same length and that are symmetric about the reference plane, 
 two first waveguides arranged symmetrically about the reference plane (xOz), each first waveguide being connected, by one end, to the end of one of the collinear arms of the first microwave junction and, by the other end, to the end of one of the collinear arms of the second microwave junction, 
 two second waveguides arranged symmetrically about the reference plane (xOz), each second waveguide being connected to one of the first waveguides, and 
 the difference arm of the first microwave junction forming the difference arm of the magic tee microwave junction, the sum arm of the second microwave junction forming the sum arm of the magic tee microwave junction, and the second waveguides forming side arms of the magic tee microwave junction. 
 
     
     
       2. The magic tee microwave junction according to  claim 1 , wherein a metal element is arranged in the first microwave junction at the joining point between the difference arm and the two collinear arms so as to adjust its properties and/or in the second microwave junction at the joining point between the sum arm and the two collinear arms so as to adjust its properties. 
     
     
       3. The magic tee microwave junction according to  claim 1 , wherein a metal element is arranged at each junction between the first waveguides and the second waveguides, symmetrically about the reference plane. 
     
     
       4. The magic tee microwave junction according to  claim 1 , wherein the junctions between the collinear arms of the first microwave junction and the first waveguides and/or the junctions between the collinear arms of the second microwave junction and the first waveguides have dimensions or geometric shapes that are configured so as to improve the impedance-matching characteristics of the magic tee microwave junction. 
     
     
       5. A microwave power divider, comprising a magic tee microwave junction according to  claim 1 , one of the ports of which is terminated by a load. 
     
     
       6. A microwave beamforming network, comprising a plurality of magic tee microwave junctions according to  claim 1  connected in cascade, one of the ports of each magic tee microwave junction being terminated by a load. 
     
     
       7. A method for producing a microwave device through additive metal manufacturing, the method being comprising the steps of:
 obtaining a computer model representing the geometry of a microwave junction according to  claim 1  or a plurality of microwave junctions according to  claim 1  connected in cascade, 
 controlling an additive metal manufacturing device so as to produce the product corresponding to the geometry specified in the computer model. 
 
     
     
       8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program, comprising a series of computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, allow the processor to control an additive metal manufacturing device to produce a magic tee microwave junction according to  claim 1 , or a plurality of magic tee microwave junctions according to  claim 1  connected in cascade.